Chaeyoung’s eyes ping-ponged between her map and the building in front of her. The red circle led them here—to a rather tall office building. 

And then it dipped down, like way down, until it settled somewhere between the Earth’s hot core and said office building. 

“Is this it?” 

She looked back up at the modern styled building. Right there at the top was a large sign that read: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS. 

“Only one way to—” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jihyo interrupted and tugged Chaeyoung along, before the demigod could go jumping through another portal or something. She was so done with her friend jumping head first into things. I swear, if another whirlpool pops up outta nowhere… 

The automatic doors of the building parted for them just as they approached. The blast of cold AC hit them all at once. Momo snorted after reading the building’s sign again. “Are we becoming singers for the last Labor?” 

Jihyo smacked her shoulder lightly in jest, “Don’t be silly. This is one of the main entrances to the Underworld. See? Look at that.” 

Momo’s eyes followed Jihyo’s finger; a sign next to the lobby doors read: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING. 

Momo shivered involuntarily. The cold air hit differently when she realized they were really heading to the Underworld. The steel gray walls and black furniture only emphasized the building’s cold atmosphere. 

When they entered the main lobby, they found that they weren’t the only ones there. Numerous people were waiting, either standing or sitting around. Momo gulped after realizing that people of all ages were present. 

Momo quickly averted her eyes when she saw that some of them didn’t have feet… or arms… or even heads. Most of the bodies present faded into semi-transparent nothingness, so she found herself staring straight through them and at the gray wallpaper more often than not. She tried not to stare too long. 

These people were already dead. The Daughter of Poseidon gulped, felt dry at the thought. She already knew that… but seeing it was a whole other story. 

“Ghosts—waiting to enter the Underworld.” Jihyo whispered to her. Small traces of discomfort was present on both of their faces. Not like they could really hide it. 

There by the end of the lobby was a raised podium. Beside it sat an elevator. The demigods approached the podium eventually. There wasn’t anywhere else to go, to be honest. 

A tall man stood watch behind the podium. He had bleach-blonde hair swept back by some kind of glistening hair product. The product was scented with fruit, which only led Momo to imagine what kind. 

Probably something like ‘Blood Red Pomegranate’. Momo tried to humor herself as a distraction. 

A pair of sunglasses rested atop his head. He wore a silk Italian suit that matched his hair, which was immaculate and sharp like it was freshly pressed. A black rose was pinned to his lapel, adjacent to a silver name tag that read: Charon. 

Momo racked her brain. Where had she heard that name before? It wasn’t until she took another look at the guy that the answer came tumbling out. 

The Ferryman of the Underworld. 

Momo recalled the name from her Greek lessons back at Camp. Charon was the one who ferried the dead across the River Styx, which divided the world of the living and the dead. She unconsciously shivered as she looked into his eyes. Nothing but death and despair seemed to fill his nearly black orbs. 

“Do you have coins for passage?” Charon’s voice droned out in a monotone fashion. Momo couldn’t help but realize his voice had a recognizable British lilt. The phrase seemed like it was repeated quite frequently. “If you don’t, take a seat. Wait time is a couple centuries.” He didn’t seem too bothered by the wait time. 

Momo shared an incredulous look with Chaeyoung and Jihyo. No way were they waiting for a few centuries. She didn’t even know how much time Camp Half-Blood had left! 

Momo took a page out of Jeongyeon’s book; She pulled out a nice small stack of golden drachma and subtly placed it on the podium with a nice chink. Maybe this was a little desperate for them. Maybe not. The fate of the camp rested on them—surely a little bribe couldn’t hurt. 

The sound of clinking drachmas immediately drew Charon’s attention. The shine of the golden coins reflected back in his dark eyes; like a shining beacon in the dark. 

“There’s another stack for you if you take us now.” Momo stacked another column of golden drachma in an attempt to persuade him. 

“Deal.” Charon’s hand darted out, eagerly snatching the golden coins before Momo could blink. A series of clinks rang out as he dropped them in his suit pocket. 

“Follow me.” The Ferryman called over his shoulder as he waltzed over to the elevator and pressed the button to call it up. 

The demigods scrambled behind him; he was faster than he looked. Groans and shouts came from the dead waiting in the lobby. Momo felt a tiny pang of guilt—she couldn’t imagine how long some of them had waited. Correction; are still waiting. 
 

Ding! 
 

The elevator door opened and another rush of cold air hit the lobby, maybe even colder if that was possible. Charon entered and the demigods trailed slowly behind. He pushed the down button and the elevator flew! Momo’s hand grasped onto the built-in guard rail in surprise; despite being in an elevator, she felt like she was in a free-fall hurtling towards the Earth’s core. 

Maybe it was just her but she swore she felt her cheeks being blown back by some unseeable force of wind. 

In the next second, everything stopped and the elevator door opened again with a chiming ding! As if the past few seconds was simply conjured in Momo’s imagination. 

Did we just—did we just travel that fast?!?  

This time the floor wasn’t steel gray; it was of the dark and dreary and gravelly shore of the River Styx. The party of four stepped out of the elevator and Charon’s appearance immediately changed—a black cape robe warped onto his being as he drew closer to a docked boat on the shore. 

Gone was the clean-cut suited man; replacing him was a skeleton donned in a hooded robe. Ok, no, not really a skeleton. But her point still stood; he looked as pale and gauntly as one anyway. 

They were officially in the Underworld now. 

Charon stepped onto the boat with practiced ease. He waved a bony hand at them, prompting the demigods to climb into the boat. After they settled in, Charon began steering the boat with a single long oar. 

To say Momo was uneasy would be an understatement. The water of the River Styx looked an incredibly haunting pale blue. She tried to examine the water of the mythic river, only coming to realize that various human items were visible at the bottom. She could see a soggy book here, a broken toy over there. Jihyo quietly explained the River’s appearance as best she could—the “scrapheap of human miseries”. 

The further Charon ferried them, the more the river took on human personas. Ghoulish faces formed, wailing and about their tragedies and their regrets in life. Jihyo had to tug on Momo’s hand to get her to tear her eyes away. She was grateful for that—she didn’t know if she could stomach the pure misery emanating from the specters for a second longer.

“Guys, remember one of the lines from the prophecy?” Momo’s head snapped over to Chaeyoung as she started talking. Anything to distract her mind from the seeping feeling of misery and gloom in the air. “‘Your guide is in three.’” 

Jihyo blinked unexpectedly. The line was coming back to her when Chaeyoung mentioned it. “You think our guide is here? In the Underworld?” 

Chaeyoung squirmed and shrugged. “I mean—there’s the three spirit judges... and the three Furies.” 

Something pricked at Momo’s mind. “Wait, I think we’re forgetting something here.” The boat rounded a couple of rocks. Still, she couldn’t figure out what it was. 

Momo turned her attention away from the conversation. She could see that they were nearing a dock on the opposite shore of the River. 

Her eyes drifted upwards as the main gates of the Underworld came into view. It was an imposing view. A bit intimidating too, as it was made out of black and white bones. The bones were held together and reinforced with Stygian metal (Chaeyoung explained it was a rare metal only found in the Underworld), its signature dark purple hue gleaming in the sparse light. Chains of the same metal held the gates open, fire pits dotted the top in intermediate spacing, illuminating the daunting structure. The Gates of the Underworld held a steadfast regal image, despite the dark and dreary setting. 

The ferry docked and Momo couldn’t be happier to get off it. The water here just wasn’t the same. 

She heard a “hup!” from Chaeyoung as they hopped onto the dock. The creaky wood boards groaned under their weight, sounding eerily similar to the wailing river. Or maybe it was just her. 

Momo looked up and saw a long line of spirits. The line began at the main gates, curving and weaving past the structure and further inwards until it ended at a large pavilion in the distance. 

The Judgement Pavilion. A place where the dead get judged by three spirits; their actions in life determine where they go in the Underworld. 

“Alright, so what's next?” Chaeyoung puffed up her chest, putting on a false bravado. Yet the blacksmith flinched when a piercing shriek echoed in the distance. 

Jihyo swiveled her head around, taking in their surroundings. This place was unknown territory to them and she took every detail into account. She didn’t like being left out of the loop. 

Momo opened to say something but was interrupted with strong quaking. The demigods shifted and stumbled as the ground shook violently. Screams and shouting raked through the spirits, almost like a domino effect. 
 

Something was approaching the main gates. Something big. 

Momo shut her eyes and braced herself against her friends but it was kinda difficult with how hard the ground was shaking. A large dark shadow suddenly loomed over the demigods. 

The quaking stopped. 

Momo opened her eyes and almost let out a scream. Cerberus, the mythical three-headed hellhound, was right in front of them, towering over them like a skyscraper. Its body was about twice the size of a mammoth. Granted, Momo had only seen a mammoth skeleton in a museum once but still—this dog is huge! 

Cerberus was a giant three-headed dog as the myths rightfully described. But the myths never prepared her for how big the creature really was. 

Fun fact before I perish—did you know he’s actually a rottweiler? 

Shadows obscured the enormous dog’s body, which was also semi-transparent. Momo could see how people could link Cerberus with a ‘three-headed demon from hell’ after seeing him in person. 

One of the heads growled at them, the other two heads silently appraised the demigods before it. Momo’s body tensed up involuntarily; she didn’t know if they were suppose to fight the giant creature or if it really was their quest guide. 

The next action it took would determine everything, she supposed. 

Her heart leaped somewhere; all she knew that it was anywhere but in her chest. 

Cerberus loomed closer. She shivered as the dog sniffed them experimentally. She could see sharp canine teeth—just inches away from her! 
 

Cerberus’s snouts came closer until— 

“Aww, dude!” 

Chaeyoung grimaced as trails of slobber slid down her face. Apparently, Cerberus was friendly. Seeing at how he just all of them and left them covered in dog saliva. 

“Ok…” Jihyo wiped her face, flicking the excess amount of drool off with a disgusted grimace. “I guess we aren’t fighting.” 

Momo still had the sense to laugh. What? The sight of them covered in giant dog drool was funny. She flicked the drool off their bodies with a simple motion of her hand. The perks of being a daughter of Poseidon. 

“Hey, boy!” Chaeyoung waved a hand at Cerberus. The dog’s heads perked up and his tail wagged excitedly, making an audible thump on the ground with every swing. What a 180-turn. 

“Are you our guide? Can you take us to where we need to go?” 

Momo stifled a laugh at the sight of Chaeyoung speaking to the giant dog in a baby voice. 

Cerberus barked once... or once for every head, so three times actually. He darted onto a path to the right of the cobblestone road leading to the Judgement Pavilion. Momo gasped at the speed before her reflexes kicked in. The demigods full-on sprinted after the dog. Cerberus was enjoying himself as he ran at a leisurely pace, one of its tongues lolled out of its mouth. She laughed at Jihyo who had to duck to avoid a big dollop of dog drool. 

Along the way, the group passed by wheat fields. The wheat was golden and the fields looked like they went on forever. Momo thought she saw people standing in them as she passed by. Jihyo called out over her shoulder, saying that they were the Fields of Asphodel. Souls who didn’t want to be judged went to these fields. Or souls who did neither enough good or bad, wandered the fields for who knows how long and how far. 

The group were running for a while until a fork in the trail popped up. Cerberus skidded to a stop before turning around to look at the demigods. Momo assumed the giant dog was giving them a break. 

She stood there breathing erratically. She felt like she just ran a marathon! 

Chaeyoung was doubled over, hands on her knees as she heaved for air. She held a finger in the air, “...can I get... a water?” 

Jihyo gulped down mouthfuls from her water bottle, a little dribbled down her chin from her haste. She wiped it off with the back of her hand as she tossed the cold bottle over to Chaeyoung. 

On the left of the fork-road, Momo could see a castle. It was magnificent and large in grandeur. Spires dotted the castle’s skyline and bright light was cast from within. The exterior was painted with black stone and bronze-gold metal, a fashionable color combo. It stood out yet fit right in with the setting of the Underworld. The castle itself sprawled across a good chunk of land. She bet she could see the entirety of the Underworld if she was on one of its balconies. 

Cerberus got back on all four paws, this time walking slowly down the right fork of the road. The demigods trailed after him, knees still a little wobbly from the sudden sprinting. 

There was a notable difference in this fork of the road. The cobblestone road was no more, splitting into rocky dirt. The air seemed strained and lifeless, which was surprising. The air in the Underworld was already dead, so the air here must be like super dead. Wilted tree stumps and dead trees littered the side of the trail, bringing the atmosphere down to a whole new level of gloom. Shadows seemed to spring up almost all around the area. 

Cerberus came to a stop, growling at what laid ahead. Momo, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung peeked around his large paws and froze in shock at what they saw. 

A large, black pit sat at the end of the dead-end trail. Shadows manifested and swirled above the opening, looking all too dark and physical to be just mere shadows. It was too dark to peer into the hole. Not that anything could be seen—it was an pitch-black void after all. 

She knew what it was even before it registered. 

Tartarus 
 

Every part of demigod in her body screamed at her. Telling her to bear her weapons or run away. Far, far away as possible. Alarm bells rang in her head. Merely the name and the sight of the dark pit invoked a deep sense of terror inside of Momo. 

“Look!” Jihyo gasped out, “In front of the pit!” 

Matching shocked gasps were pulled from the demigods. 

The pit to Tartarus spilled a wide puddle of black goo. It bubbled and hissed, reeking of evil unknown. Momo had no doubt it was pure evil if the source was Tartarus itself. 

But that wasn’t the only thing Jihyo was pointing out. 

Stuck in the dark puddle were pieces of gold. 

Gold! 

Three sharp golden prongs to be exact. 

The black goop clung onto the gold prongs. The goo reminded Momo of lava—if lava were sticky, molten darkness. She scrunched her nose up, yuck. 

Nevermind that. They had found the ‘scattered prongs’! 

“Like the prophecy said.” Chaeyoung grinned as she patted Cerberus’ front leg. “Your guide is in three. Blah, blah, blah, three scattered prongs in black matter.” 

There was a beat of silence as the demigods and the giant three-headed dog watched the black pit bubble and hiss. The three golden prongs were suspended in motion as they remained in the clutches of the black pit. 

A dark bubble popped suddenly, sending sizzling goop across the field. It wasn’t anywhere close enough to hit them but the demigods flinched nonetheless. Especially when the place of impact started smoking and disintegrating… 

“Right... so how do we get it out?” 

Momo picked up a nearby dead tree branch and tossed it in the puddle. It sizzled upon contact before getting swallowed whole by the black goop. 

“Ok… so it’s not a puddle.” 

No, more like a swamp… or a tar pit. Yeah, a tar pit!... a very acidic tar pit…  

Chaeyoung and Jihyo started debating several methods to extract the prongs, each one sounding more extreme and ridiculous than the last. Cerberus’ three heads watched the two with rapt attention, its heads flitted back and forth like a ping-pong match. 

An exasperated noise left Momo. Wasn’t anything easy for a demigod?